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Comets on Fire

August 5 2006, 1:00am, The Times

Avatar

(Sub Pop)

Their previous records were like explosions in a noise factory, but San Francisco’s quietly adored Comets have turned to classic rock for their fourth set, specifically the point where jazz, blues and avant-garde noise casually collide (ie, 1971). Very occasionally their electronically treated sound summons up a jam band soundchecking in a room while someone vacuums, but, generally, Avatar is a triumph. From the loping, dated Dogwood Rust, via the brilliant ballad Lucifer’s Memory, to the nagging lead guitars that wind through the marching beat of Sour Smoke, this is heady, extreme stuff that manages to be both out there and back then.

STEVE JELBERT

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